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I began my career in the trade union movement in the late 1980s, when the Conservative governments of the time presented parliament with a new piece of restrictive anti-union legislation every 18 months. A huge amount of effort was expended by the Trades Union...

It is hardly uncommon for trade unions to get bad press. Some within government and the media are keen to paint us as constantly at being at odds with employers and the public. They focus on the inconvenience of strikes and portray us as antagonistic. This is the...

Clause 10 of the trade union bill, if it is passed, will mean trade unions will only be able to collect contributions to their political funds from members who actively opt in by written notice. This is a big change from what currently happens, where union members...

Many commentators have described the trade union bill as unfinished business from the Thatcher era. While there is a truth to this, the bill also needs to be seen in the context of the government's legislative agenda in both the current and last parliament. A clear...